Method and apparatus for connecting two submerged inhabitable enclosures

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for connecting two submerged enclosures one fixed and one mobile wherein the mobile enclosure has a tubular passageway, the outside end of which has an inflatable joint and a lip joint for connecting in sealing engagement, the tubular passageway of the mobile enclosure with an opening in the fixed enclosure.

[ Feb. 8, l 972 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS .61/69 AMerritt... ....61/69 A Furino A FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS .61/69 AGermany ABSTRACT g two submerged encloin the mobile enclosure gengagesageway of the mobile enclosure with an 18 Claims, 3 DrawingFigures 1,803,369 5/1931 Teeple et al. 1,838,566 12/1931 120,102 10/1918Great Britain 574,209 4/1933 Primary Examiner-J. Karl BellAttorney-Sughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & Macpeak 061/69, 235/97 A methodand apparatus for connectin M363; 11/34 sures one fixed and one mobilewhere has a tubular passageway, the outside end of which has an in-49/477; 2 5/97 flatable joint and a lip joint for connecting in sealinment, the tubular pas opening in the fixed enclosure.

Louis G. be Therisien; Henri A. Mario both of Paris, France CompagnleFrancalse des Petroles, Soclete Anonyme, Paris, France Feb. 16, 1970Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 14, 1969 United States mm LeTherisien et a1.

CONNECTING TWO SUBMERGED INHABITABLE ENCLOSURES Assignee:

Field ofSearch.................

[54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR [72] Inventors:

[22] Filed:

[21] Appl. No.:

[51] Int.

f/Illa 1 Vl/fllb SHEUI or 2 MVENTGRS LOUIS G LeTHiRiSEEN HENRI A. MARFOHFM i BY m ATTORIEYS PATENIED FEB 81973 PATENTEI] FEB 8 I972 v 3,640,079

SHEET 2 UF 2 I 53 i '47 I 4 42 75 .56 14 43 imam; mm a LeThERL'ifEMHENRi A mamas BY W,Wjhml m W ATTORNEYS METHOD AND APPARATUS FORCONNECTING TWO SUBMERGED INI-IABITABLE ENCLOSURES BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method andapparatus for connecting two pressurized submerged, inhabitableenclosures, with one of the enclosures being mobile and the other onebeing fixed on the ocean bottom.

All known devices for connecting inhabitable enclosures under waterrequire their own clean and united connecting surfaces, as well as avery precise centering of the application surface. Prior art devices areexpensive; maintenance is difficult, and their method of connection isnot at all practicable because of the maneuvering precision required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The main object of this invention concerns adevice for connecting a first enclosure to a second enclosure, both ofwhich are under atmospheric pressure or at a pressure which is low withrespect to the outside pressure. The device is characterized by the factthat the first enclosure has a tube secured to it, a portion of whichprotrudes beyond the enclosure toward the outside thereof. An autoclavepanel is employed to close off the portion of the tube situated insidethe enclosure. A

joint is provided which borders the outside end of the tube. A

rigid support bearing is also located on the outside circumference ofthe pipe and a joint in the form of a lip surrounds the outside end ofthe tube. The other edge of the support is on the level of the lowerportion of the tube joint and means are provided for removing fluidcontained in said tube. The second enclosure has a flat siuface equippedwith an opening which is closed off by an autoclave panel whose diameteris smaller than that of the tube of the first enclosure.

The first advantage of this device is that it facilitates theconsiderable shifting of the axis of the tube, which axis need not besituated along the axis of the access opening of the second enclosure.The approach maneuver thus does not have to be precise and it is nolonger necessary to provide guide surfaces which were required in orderthat the connecting surface sections coincide with precision.

A second advantage is that the enclosure is made to rest on a rigidsupport, thus preventing crushing of the joint which lines the outsideend of the tube. t

In addition, the use of means for pumping the fluid contained in thetube enables one to establish depressurization with respect to theoutside environment, which results in a first tight sealing zone betweenthe lip bordering on the rigid support and the flat surface of thesecond enclosure.

Another object 'of the invention is to increase the sealing of the abovementioned device by using, as a support for the lipequipped joint, acontinuous knife edge surrounding the extremity of the tube, the end ofsaid edge being on the level of the extremity of the joint of said tube.

.Thus, the application of the knife edge upon the flat surface of thesecond enclosure, especially during the creation of a depress'urizationinside the tube, facilitates the destruction of any possible concretionsof animal origin which might have formed on this surface.

Furthermore, the knife edge itself fonns a joint and its action,combined with that of the lip joint, helps guarantee the tightness ofthe seal of the tube joint, even in cases where there is an irregularityon the flat surface of the second enclosure.

Another object of this invention is to strengthen the tightness of theseal of such a device at any depth by using, as a sealing joint at theoutside end of the tube, an inflatable elastic joint. Means are providedinside the first enclosure for inflating the elastic joint at thedesired pressure. Thus, one can compensate for the strong presurefollowing the depression created in the pipe.

Another object of this invention is to remedy even further water at acertain depth resulting from depressurization in the tube, by equippingthe tube with a crown of jacks the end rods of which may be brought tothe level of the outside end of the tube. The jacks can be controlledfrom the inside of the enclosure.

It thus becomes possible, regardless of the depth at which the linkup isperformed, to apply the inflatable joint against the flat surface of thesecond enclosure without doing damage to it. The end of the rods of thejacks are then supported on the surface of the second enclosure and theyexert a given pressure that prevents any crushing of the inflatablejoint.

Another object of the invention is to increase even further thetightness of the seal of the device by creating, outside the tubebearing the inflatable joint and during the application of the outsideend of the mobile tube upon the flat surface of the fixed enclosure, aring-shaped sealed chamber. The sealed chamber reveals, from itsoutside'toward its inside, a joint in the form of a lip shouldered by aknife edge and constituting a lateral outside wall of the chamber. Acrown supporting the knife edge is connected by a first set of jacks tothe first enclosure. A toric channel is provided by an elastic membranebordered by two vertical guided skirts and a crown attached to the tube,the crown supports a set of supporting jacks surrounding the tube.Pumping means are also provided in the enclosure to evacuate the fluidcontained in the ring-shaped chamber which is bordered below by thesurface of the second enclosure, bordered laterally by the knife edgethat bears the lip joint and by the tube, and bordered on top by thejack-carrying crown, the elastic membrane, and the knife-edge-carrythepipeand the elastic membrane resting flat upon the surface of the secondenclosure, and thezone between the elastic membrane and the lip joint.

Another object of the invention is the method for connecting twoenclosures by means of the above-mentioned device. The method consistsof the following steps: (a) placing the end of the tube of the mobileenclosure above the access opening of the second enclosure; (b) makingthe mobile enclosure heavy so as to apply it on a flat surfacesurrounding the access to the fixed enclosure, the application beingperformed by means of the end of a knife edge bordered by a lip jointwherein the pressure of the knife edge destroys any possible concretionswhich might exist on the surface of the fixed enclosure perpendicularlywith respect to the knife edge; and (c) pumping the fluid that is insidethe tube so as to create a depressurization thus applying the lip jointagainst the flat surface.

The placement of the mobile enclosure above the opening of the secondenclosure does not have to be precise because the axis of the pipe maybe outside the axis of the access opening of the second enclosure.Furthermore, it suffices merely to make the mobile enclosure heavy so asto obtain a zone of first sealing tightness, then to pump the fluid outwhich is located in the tube so as to strengthen the pressure exerted bythe enclosure upon the knife edge and simultaneously increasing thetightness of the device by means of the application of the lip joint.

Another object of the invention is to make it possible to use thismethod at any depth after making the enclosure heavy and following thesesteps: (a) depressurizing tube; (b) inflating the tightness jointsituated at the end of the tube; and (c) increasing the pressure of therods of the supporting jacks upon the surface surrounding the access ofthe fixed enclothe effects of the very strong pressure encountered undersure.

The great flexibility offered by this method thus enables us to performa linkup at any depth because it is possible at any time to control thesupport pressures upon the jacks and upon the elastic joint.

Another object of the invention is to facilitate the implementation ofthis method by increasing the tightness of the seal of the connectingdevice by creating a depression in a tightness chamber surrounding theconnecting tube and then proceeding as before immediately after makingthe enclosure heavy for the purpose of keeping the tube in place aroundthe access opening of the second enclosure.

The invention may be applied to all underwater projects I requiring thetransfer of personnel who must work in an enclosure situated on theocean bottom at a great depth and under atmospheric pressure.

Other objectives and features of the invention will emerge from thefollowing specifications prepared with reference to the attacheddrawings which, by way of example, illustrate one way of implementingthe connecting device as well as one of its variants.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic cross sectionview, along a plane passing through the axes of the two enclosures ofthe present invention which are presumed to be aligned.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a partial cross section view taken along linesII-II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an axial cross section view of one variantof the enclosure connecting device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, theenclosures 11 and 12 are shown already in the connected position. Tomake the drawing clearer, it will be assumed that the axis of theautoclave panels 13 and 14 of the two enclosures were aligned. Thiscondition, however, is not required to perform the linkup as will bedescribed in the following description. 7

Enclosure 11 may have any desired shape and is only partially shownhere. Likewise, enclosure 12 is illustrated with the lower portion cutaway. To facilitate the description to follow, it is assumed thatenclosure 11 is mobile and belongs, for example, to a submarine,whereas, enclosure 12 is fixed on the ocean bottom.

The access threshold of the fixed enclosure 12 has a flat section 15surrounding panel 14. The flat section 15 may consist of concrete andmay surround the opening 16, in FIGS. 1 and 2. The hinge 17. ofautoclave panel 14 opens toward the tube 1 and can be made of anysuitable material.

Tube 1 of themobile enclosure 11 is embedded in the wall of theenclosure 11 and has an outside portion containing a housing to fonn aninflatable tight joint 8. The housing is bordered on the inside by acrown 18 forming a knife edge at its lower portion and by a knife edgeon the outside thereof. A support 19 holds a lip joint 20 which issupported on knife edge 10, the latter in turn being supported on edge9.

A crown 6, .welded to the pipe 1 and to the buttresses 21, supports aseries of supporting jacks 7.

Tube 1 has a certain number of openings through which pass ducts inorder to create a pressure or depressurization in the tube 1 and intheinflatable joint 8. Duct 22 is connected to a tank 3 by means of pump 4and valve 23. Valve 24 enables tank 3 to be placed at atmosphericpressure.

A second pumping circuit including duct 25, valve 26, pump 2, and valve27, exit to the outside of enclosure 11 through duct 28, to enable aportion'of the water contained in the tube to be expelled outside thetube 1.

Another circuit, consisting of valve 5 and ducts 29 and 30, makes itpossible to establish direct communication between tube 1 and theoutside environment.

A further circuit consisting of a duct 31 connects the inside of theinflatable crown 8 to a pump (not shown) via a valve 32 which iscontrolled by outside pressure.

When it is desired to move from enclosure 11 which may be a submarine,for example, to enclosure 12, the submarine is positioned perpendicularto panel 14. The submarine can be equipped with retractable runners onwhich the submarine can rest and which will keep the submarine in acertain spot.

When tube 1 is being used as a passage chamber and the central axis isin the vicinity of the axis of panel 14 without having to line up thisaxis and that of the tube, the runners of the submarine (not shown here)are retracted so that the knife edge 10 comes to rest upon the surface15 around the panel 14. In the linkup takes place at a depth of meters,tube 1 is placed at a low pressure of 2 bars, for example, with respectto the outside enviromnent, by using a small centrifugal pump 2. Byvirtue of the depth at which we operate and by virtue of the density ofthe water, a force of about 26 tons can be achieved.

This increase in the force of the tube upon the access threshold 15 ofthe fixed enclosure results in an application of a pressure of about 325kg./cm. to the portion of surface 15 which is in contact with the knifeedge 10 whose edge can have a thickness on the order of 1 mm. Because ofthis pressure and knife edge 10, the destruction of concretions whichmay have been deposited in-this area is possible as is the creation of arelative tight seal.

Furthermore, lip joint 20 receives a pressure on the order of 22 kg. percentimeter of length which is applied to the threshold of the fixedenclosure in case a loss of tightness results on the part of the knifeedge joint.

It is obvious that, if the seal is defective, all that need be done isto maintain the depression created in the tube by means of the smallcentrifugal pump 2.

We then apply, in chamber 7a of each support jack 7, a pressure of 10bars which corresponds to the ambient pressure by means not shown here.The pressure is supplied. to said chambers in a parallel fashion. Theratio of the diameters of the rods and the pistons results in a movementof the rods which are supported on surface 15 with a total force of 5.5tons. Thus, effective support can be achieved even in cases where thereare irregularities on surface 15.

The-supply circuit of the jacks is then closed and the joint 8 isinflated by means of circuit 31 connected to control valve 32 and to apump(not shown) so as to create a slight overpressure in joint 8 withrespect to the ambient pressure.

After closing the inflating circuit 31, the tube 1 is emptied atatmospheric pressure by siphoning the water into tank 3 of enclosure 1and pump 2 is then turned off.

The mobile enclosure 11 and its tube 1 thus apply, on surface 15, aforce of about 133 tons due to the bottom effect. If the pressure isprogressively increased while the tube is being emptied, to a pressureof approximately 89 bars in the chambers of jacks 7, the total effect ofthe pressure at the bottom of the sea will be absorbed by these supportjacks.

It is noted that, even when the seal is lost in the inflatable joint,the knife edge joints l0 and the lip joint 20 guarantee safe operationby stopping the penetration of water, without,

however, applying any excessive pressure of the knife edges 10 upon thesurface 15. The thickness of the edges of the knife edges 10 arecalculated to prevent any deterioration of the surface 15. I

Operating personnel may then pass through the tube 1 by opening thepanels 13 and 14, whose weight can be balanced by any known mechanism.The panels are opened toward the inside of the tube.

One of the principal advantages of this method of linkup is that itpermits a rapid separation of enclosures. To separate the enclosures allthat need be done is to: reclose the autoclave panels 13 and 14,resiphon the water at atmospheric pressure from tank 3 to the inside oftube 1, establish communication, by means of valve 5, between theambient environment and the inside of the tube, and return theinflatable joint 8 to ambient pressure by means of circuit 31.

The bottom efiect, that is to say, the force resulting from ambientpressure, is thus immediately suppressed and the mobile enclosure isreleased. The supporting jacks 7 can be locked and the pistons can bereturned at a later time.

It is also noted that, in addition to the previously mentionedadvantages such as the tolerance of alignment during placement of mobileenclosure, the triple tightness and eventual destruction of formationsof animal origin, the unimportance of irregularities of the supportsurfaces, a further advantage results because the crown 18, whichshoulders the inflatable joint 8, likewise participates in thedestruction of concretions and prevents the protrusion of the inflatablejoint 8. The shape of the joint 8 and its housing facili ates itsreplacement and prevents in from being crushed during the application ofthe tube to the threshold H5. The noninflated joint is slightly recessedwith respect to the threads of knife edges 10 and 18.

Contrary to other devices, no mechanical locking of the mobile enclosure11 upon the fixed enclosure 12 is necessary by virtue of the largeapplication force resulting from ambient pressure.

As regards the siphoning of the water from the tube 1 into the enclosureor from the enclosure into the tube, this operation can be performedwith a small expenditure of power because the pressure is first of allreduced with the help of pump 2 and because the siphoning takes placeplace at atmospheric pressure. These advantages result regardless of thedepth at which the linkup is performed.

At shallow depths, the jacks 7 can be eliminated and inflatable joint 8may be replaced by a joint having a certain thickness and resting on theaccess threshold 16 of the fixed enclosure 12 before the knife edges1t), 18 of the housing come to rest upon the threshold.

FIG. 3 discloses one way of implementing a variation of the connectingdevice shown in FlGS. 1 and 2.

In order to facilitate the understanding of this figure, portionsidentical to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 have been designated with thesame numerical reference, similar but not identical portions bearreference numbers above 40.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the assembly of the knife edge 41 and ofthe support 42 of the lip 43, which constitute the joint, is borne by acrown 44 which is suspended from three jacks 45, at whose ends rods 46are connected by attachments 47 to crown 44.

Crown 48 of supporting jacks 49 is attached to tube 1 and serves as afixed support for one of the edges of a rubber membrane 50 having aU-shaped cross section. The other edge of the membrane 50 is supportedby crown 44 of the knife-edgesupporting assembly 41. The edges of themembrane 50 are held against their crown supports 44, 48 by means ofangle irons 51 and 52. Membrane 50 is guided laterally by verticalskirts 53 and 54 of crowns 44 and 48.

Inflatable joint 8 is'held laterally by two vertical crowns 55 and 56,intended to prevent the expansion of the joint 8.

In order to connect the enclosures 11, 15, the first enclosure is movedto a point perpendicular with respect to the access of the secondenclosure and the submarine, which is resting on its runners, is made inthe first manner of implementation, heavier. In this stage, the rods 46of jacks 45 supporting crown 44 are withdrawn so that the assembly ofknife edge 41 is in the raised position.

Referring back to the preceding example where the linkup takes place ata depth of 100 meters, a pressure of 5 bars is applied in the principalchambers of the jacks 45, thus producing a pressure sufficient to permitthe descent of the crown 44 by its own weight. The force of applicationof knife edge 41 upon surface then corresponds to a pressure of about 16kg./cm. when the thickness of the edge of the knife edge is 2 mm. Thispressure makes it possible to destroy any exisn'ng concretions carriedby surface 15 and to thus ensure tightness of the seal of the linkup.

The submarine then recovers its runners and the ringshaped chamber,formed by surface 15, knife edge 41, crown 44, membrane 50, crown 48,and tube 1, is put in a slight depressurization with respect to theambient environment. In order to do this, the pump 2 with duct 57leading into the chamber is activated. The lip joint 43 undergoes aforce of 5.5 kg. per centimeter of length in case of loss of tightnessof knife edge 41 and this is applied upon surface 1, thus creating aprimary seal.

In the event of a break in the seal the depressurization is maintainedby means of the small centrifugal pump 2; if the depressurizationprevails in the chamber, the knife edge joint 41 is applied to thesurface 15 with a pressure of about 250 kg./cm. for a knife edge basewith a thickness of 2 mm., which will destroy any possible remainingconcretions.

The force of 18 tons, resulting from the depressurization applied to thetube-and-jack-crown assembly, is absorbed by inflatable joint 8 which issubjected to a pressure of 10 bars by control valve 32 which controlvalve 32 communicates via duct 58 with the chamber in which isdepressurized and via duct 59 with joint 8. The inflating circuit isthen closed.

Rods 60 of support jacks 49, whose inside chamber pressure is equal toambient pressure and whose pistons are free due to the effect of thedepressurization, descend until they are in contact with surface 15. Thejacks are locked in this position by closing their control circuit whichcan be any kind (not shown). A definite support is thus accomplished bythe eight jacks.

Tube 1 is then emptied by circuit 22 into tank 3 at atmosphericpressure, as before. The force exerted by the bottom effect upon themobile enclosure 11 and its tube 1 increases to about 130 tons. Thisforce is compensated by an increase in the pressure inside thesupporting jacks up to a pressure on the order of bars. Thedepressurization of 0.5 bar which is maintained in the ring-shapedchamber, is eliminated. The knife edge 41 and the lip joint 43 thenguarantee safety in the event sealing tightness is lost on the part ofthe inflatable joint.

The rapid separation of enclosures is achieved in a manner identical tothe process described previously without the use of any mechanicallocking device.

Although only one variant of the connecting device that is the object ofthis invention has been described, in the case of a mobile enclosurebeing connected to a fixed enclosure whose access panel axis isvertical, it is obvious that the device as well as the method can beapplied to the situation of a linkup between a mobile enclosure and afixed enclosure whose access panel axes are horizontal or in anyposition.

In the case of an access panel having a horizontal axis, the ring-shapedchamber is lightened and may, for example, by sustained by twoslideways. The jacks supporting the chamber compensate, through theirthrust, for the loss of weight of the chamber. The submarine may haverunners which unfold thus facilitating the positioning of the tube uponthe flat and vertical surface of the fixed enclosure around the accessopening. The runners of the submarine thus rest on the horizontal oceanbottom.

Although we have described only one mode of implementation and only oneof its variants, it is obvious that one would not go beyond theframework of this invention if one were to modify the form of theelements described or if one were to replace them with equivalent means.

What is claimed is:

1. Connecting device for connecting in sealing engagement a mobileenclosure at atmospheric pressure and a fixed enclo' sure on the oceanbottom, comprising: a mobile enclosure having a passage tube protrudingbeyond said enclosure, an autoclave panel closing off the portion of thetube situated on the inside of the enclosure, an inflatable jointbordering on the end of the tube outside the enclosure, a rigid supportbearing along its outside circumference and at one of its edges a jointin the form of a lip surrounding the outside extremity of the tube, theother edge of the support being on the level of the lower portion of theinflatable joint, and means for pumping of the outside liquid containedin said tube, said second enclosure revealing a flat surface equippedwith an opening that is closed off by an autoclave panel whose diameteris smaller than that of the tube of the first enclosure.

2. Connecting device as set forth in claim I, further comprising a rigidsupport for the lip joint and a continuous knife edge surrounding theextremity of the tube of the enclosure whose bottom edge is on the levelof the extremity of the joint of said tube to thereby increase the sealbetween said mobile enclosure and said fixed enclosure.

3. Connecting device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: anelastic inflatable joint at the exterior extremity of the tube as asealing joint and means being provided inside the first enclosure inorder to inflate said joint to the desired pressure to thereby increasethe seal for any depth.

4. Connecting device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: anelastic inflatable joint at the exterior extremity of the tube, and aninflating circuit for said joint consisting of a control valve governedby the pressure prevailing in the ambient environment surrounding saidjoint to thereby increase the seal for any depth.

5. Connecting device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising acircuit connecting the interior of the tube to the exterior of saidenclosure said circuit being controlled by a valve located in saidmobile enclosure.

6. Connecting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the fluid-pumpingmeans in the mobile enclosure comprises a pump connected to a tank, saidtank having a valve so that it can be placed under atmospheric pressure.enclosure,

7. Connecting device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: apumping circuit connecting the inside of the tube to the outside of themobile enclosure, said circuit having a duct extending into the tube, afirst valve in said duct, a low-power centrifugal pump connected to saidvalve, and a duct for the evacuation of fluid to the outside of theenclosure said duct being connected to said pump and having a secondvalve therein.

8. Connecting device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: a crownof jacks having rods for engaging the surface of the threshold of thefixed enclosure, said jacks being controlled from the inside of theenclosure.

9. Connecting device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising aring-shaped sealing chamber positioned outside of the tubefor increasingthe seal between the outside end of the mobile tube and the flat surfaceof the fixed enclosure, said chamber having a joint in the form of a lipshouldered by a knife edge and constituting a lateral outside wall ofsaid chamber, a crown supporting said knife edge connected by a firstset of jacks to the first enclosure, a toric channel consisting of anelastic membrane bordered by two vertical guide skirts and a crown fixedto said tube, said crown supporting a set of supporting jackssurrounding the tube, pumping means provided in theenclosure in order toevacuate the fluid contained in said ring-shaped chamber bordered belowby the surface of the second enclosure, bordered laterally by the knifeedge carrying the lip joint and by the tube, and bordered on top by thejack-carrying crown, the elastic membrane, and the knife-edgecarryingcrown.

l0. Connecting device as set forth in claim 9 further comprising: apumping circuit connecting said ring-shaped chamber to the outside ofsaid movable enclosure, said circuit having a duct extending from thevicinity of the inflatable joint, said duct being connected .by a valveto a low-power centrifugal pump whose output is connected to the outsideof said movable enclosure by means of a second valve.

ll. Connecting device as set forth in claim 1 wherein, the accessopenings of the mobile enclosure and of the fixed enclosure haveautoclave panels that open toward the inside of said tube.

12. Connecting device as set forth in claim 11 wherein said tube has aseries of support jacks which are emptied by establishing a low pressurein said tube with respect to the ambient environment, and depressurizingthe chambers of the support jacks.

13. A method for connecting a mobile enclosure, at atmospheric pressure,to a fixed enclosure on the ocean bottom comprising the steps of:

a. equipping the mobile enclosure with a passage tube having a closedend extending .into said mobile enclosure and an open end extendingoutside of said mobile enclosure, said open end having a bordercontaining sealing devices and fixed supporting devices and adjustablesupporting devices;

b. surrounding the closed access opening of the fixed enclosure with aflat surface c. moving said tube end above the access opening of thefixed enclosure;

d. making said mobile enclosure heavy so as to put its supportingdevices and said sealing devices into contact with said flat surface;

e. emptying the tube so as to create a depressurization with respect tothe ambient pressure; and

f. perfecting the sealing of the two enclosures by means of the forceresulting from the ambient pressure while adjusting the. adjustablesupporting devices to reduce the large force applied to the sealingdevices resulting from the ambient pressure.

14. Method as set forth in claim 13 wherein said tube is emptied bysiphoning the water contained in the tube into a tank of the mobileenclosure at atmospheric pressure.

15. Method as set forth in claim 13 wherein said supporting and sealingdevices form a ring-shaped tightness chamber and wherein said tubeemptying operation being preceded by an operation creating a slightdepressurization in said ring-shaped chamber.

16. Method as set forth in claim 13 wherein one of said tightnessdevices is inflatable, and wherein said tube emptying operation ispreceded by the inflation of said tightness device.

17. Method as set forth in claim 13 wherein said support devices involvejacks, and wherein said tube emptying operation is completed by theplacement of the chambers of said supporting jacks under pressure.

18. Method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the separation of the mobileenclosure from the fixed enclosure'is accomplished, after closing theaccess openings of said enclosures by the steps of: (a) returning thewater into the tube which was siphoned into the tank of the mobileenclosure; (b) placing the tube under ambient pressure through theestablishment of communication between the tube and the outside; and (c)deflating the inflatable tightness joint.

1. Connecting device for connecting in sealing engagement a mobileenclosure at atmospheric pressure and a fixed enclosure on the oceanbottom, comprising: a mobile enclosure having a passage tube protrudingbeyond said enclosure, an autoclave panel closing off the portion of thetube situated on the inside of the enclosure, an inflatable jointbordering on the end of the tube outside the enclosure, a rigid supportbearing along its outside circumference and at one of its edges a jointin the form of a lip surrounding the outside extremity of the tube, theother edge of the support being on the level of the lower portion of theinflatable joint, and means for pumping of the outside liquid containedin said tube, said second enclosure revealing a flat surface equippedwith an opening that is closed off by an autoclave panel whose diameteris smaller than that of the tube of the first enclosure.
 2. Connectingdevice as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a rigid support forthe lip joint and a continuous knife edge surrounding the extremity ofthe tube of the enclosure whose bottom edge is on the level of theextremity of the joint of said tube to thereby increase the seal betweensaid mobile enclosure and said fixed enclosure.
 3. Connecting device asset forth in claim 1 further comprising: an elastic inflatable joint atthe exterior extremity of the tube as a sealing joint and means beingprovided inside the first enclosure in order to inflate said joint tothe desired pressure to thereby increase the seal for any depth. 4.Connecting device as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: an elasticinflatable joint at the exterior extremity of the tube, and an inflatingcircuit for said joint consisting of a control valve governed by thepressure prevailing in the ambient environment surrounding said joint tothereby increase the seal for any depth.
 5. Connecting device as setforth in claim 1 further comprising a circuit connecting the interior ofthe tube to the exterior of said enclosure said circuit being controlledby a valve located in said mobile enclosure.
 6. Connecting device as setforth in claim 1, wherein the fluid-pumping means in the mobileenclosure comprises a pump connected to a tank, said tank having a valveso that it can be placed under atmospheric pressure.
 7. Connectingdevice as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: a pumping circuitconnecting the inside of the tube to the outside of the mobileenclosure, said circuit having a duct extending into the tube, a firstvalve in said duct, a low-power centrifugal pump connected to saidvalve, and a duct for the evacuation of fluid to the outside of theenclosure said duct being connected to said pump and having a secondvalve therein.
 8. Connecting device as set forth in claim 1 furthercomprising: a crown of jacks having rods for engaging the surface of thethreshold of the fixed enclosure, said jacks being controlled from theinside of the enclosure.
 9. Connecting device as set forth in claim 1further comprising a ring-shaped sealing chamber positioned outside ofthe tube for increasing the seal between the outside end of the mobiletube and the flat surface of the fixed enclosure, said chaMber having ajoint in the form of a lip shouldered by a knife edge and constituting alateral outside wall of said chamber, a crown supporting said knife edgeconnected by a first set of jacks to the first enclosure, a toricchannel consisting of an elastic membrane bordered by two vertical guideskirts and a crown fixed to said tube, said crown supporting a set ofsupporting jacks surrounding the tube, pumping means provided in theenclosure in order to evacuate the fluid contained in said ring-shapedchamber bordered below by the surface of the second enclosure, borderedlaterally by the knife edge carrying the lip joint and by the tube, andbordered on top by the jack-carrying crown, the elastic membrane, andthe knife-edge-carrying crown.
 10. Connecting device as set forth inclaim 9 further comprising: a pumping circuit connecting saidring-shaped chamber to the outside of said movable enclosure, saidcircuit having a duct extending from the vicinity of the inflatablejoint, said duct being connected by a valve to a low-power centrifugalpump whose output is connected to the outside of said movable enclosureby means of a second valve.
 11. Connecting device as set forth in claim1 wherein, the access openings of the mobile enclosure and of the fixedenclosure have autoclave panels that open toward the inside of saidtube.
 12. Connecting device as set forth in claim 11 wherein said tubehas a series of support jacks which are emptied by establishing a lowpressure in said tube with respect to the ambient environment, anddepressurizing the chambers of the support jacks.
 13. A method forconnecting a mobile enclosure, at atmospheric pressure, to a fixedenclosure on the ocean bottom comprising the steps of: a. equipping themobile enclosure with a passage tube having a closed end extending intosaid mobile enclosure and an open end extending outside of said mobileenclosure, said open end having a border containing sealing devices andfixed supporting devices and adjustable supporting devices; b.surrounding the closed access opening of the fixed enclosure with a flatsurface; c. moving said tube end above the access opening of the fixedenclosure; d. making said mobile enclosure heavy so as to put itssupporting devices and said sealing devices into contact with said flatsurface; e. emptying the tube so as to create a depressurization withrespect to the ambient pressure; and f. perfecting the sealing of thetwo enclosures by means of the force resulting from the ambient pressurewhile adjusting the adjustable supporting devices to reduce the largeforce applied to the sealing devices resulting from the ambientpressure.
 14. Method as set forth in claim 13 wherein said tube isemptied by siphoning the water contained in the tube into a tank of themobile enclosure at atmospheric pressure.
 15. Method as set forth inclaim 13 wherein said supporting and sealing devices form a ring-shapedtightness chamber and wherein said tube emptying operation beingpreceded by an operation creating a slight depressurization in saidring-shaped chamber.
 16. Method as set forth in claim 13 wherein one ofsaid tightness devices is inflatable, and wherein said tube emptyingoperation is preceded by the inflation of said tightness device. 17.Method as set forth in claim 13 wherein said support devices involvejacks, and wherein said tube emptying operation is completed by theplacement of the chambers of said supporting jacks under pressure. 18.Method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the separation of the mobileenclosure from the fixed enclosure is accomplished, after closing theaccess openings of said enclosures by the steps of: (a) returning thewater into the tube which was siphoned into the tank of the mobileenclosure; (b) placing the tube under ambient pressure through theestablishment of communication between the tube and the outside; and (c)deflating the inflatable tightness joint.